(CNN) – New Hampshire's four electoral votes are turning into one of the presidential election's most fiercely fought-for prizes, with both candidates headed to the state next week and top surrogates streaming in to try and sway the notoriously independent voters there.

President Barack Obama heads to New Hampshire Saturday for a rally in Nashua, while his GOP rival Mitt Romney will be in the state next week for an event in Manchester. Joe Biden will also travel north for a rally Monday.FULL POST

(CNN) - Newark Mayor Cory Booker, a top surrogate for President Barack Obama's campaign, said Friday that a surrogate for Mitt Romney made the wrong call when he argued Colin Powell endorsed Obama because they shared the same race.

"Whatever he meant or not, it was a statement that is unfortunate and just reflects a lack of understanding and sensitivity," Booker said on CNN's "Starting Point with Soledad O'Brien."FULL POST

Ames, Iowa (CNN) - The owner of an Iowa construction company where Mitt Romney will deliver a speech on the economy received stimulus funds, according to the government's web site that tracks expenditures from the federal program.

Kevin Kinzler, owner of Kinzler Construction Services, received a $1.25 million dollar loan from the Small Business Administration through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in May of 2009, shortly after the stimulus plan was signed into law by President Obama.FULL POST

(CNN) – Republican nominee Mitt Romney said Friday's third-quarter economic numbers indicate sluggish growth, falling short of what President Barack Obama's administration had anticipated when the president took office in 2009.

"Today, we received the latest round of discouraging economic news: Last quarter, our economy grew at only two percent, less than half the 4.3% rate the White House projected after passing the stimulus bill," said Romney in a statement issued Friday after the Bureau of Economic Analysis released an advance estimate of the economy's growth in the third quarter.FULL POST

(CNN) - Republican nominee Mitt Romney will deliver a speech focused on the economy Friday in Ames, Iowa. Below are excerpts of his speech released by his campaign.

"This is an election of consequence. Our campaign is about big things, because we happen to believe that America faces big challenges. We recognize this is a year with a big choice, and the American people want to see big changes. And together we can bring real change to this country."

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee on Friday said it took out a $1.1 million ad buy on a new commercial in Indiana that blasts the GOP Senate candidate for his controversial remarks. The ad will run on television until November 6.FULL POST

Washington (CNN) - Even before a second Republican Senate candidate tripped over incendiary comments about rape, GOP leaders in Washington knew that their once promising chances of winning control of the Senate had diminished.

Whether Richard Mourdock of Indiana can move past his controversial remarks and stabilize his campaign remains to be seen. Either way, once confident Republicans across the country now face the nail-biting final days of campaigning and a highly uncertain outcome on Election Day.

(CNN) - The House Democratic campaign arm outraised its Republican counterpart in the first half of October, the groups announced Thursday.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee took in $9.5 million between October 1 and October 17, while the National Republican Congressional Committee raised $7.4 million in the same period.FULL POST

New York (CNNMoney) - U.S. economic growth picked up in the third quarter, boosted by stronger consumer spending, an improving housing sector and increased defense spending.

Gross domestic product, the broadest measure of the nation's economic health, grew at an annual rate of 2% from July to September, the Commerce Department said Friday, faster than the 1.3% in the second quarter.

(CNN) - President Barack Obama will continue his battleground swing next week, hitting Wisconsin, Ohio and Colorado, his campaign announced Friday.

The president will travel to Colorado Springs and Green Bay on Tuesday before heading to Ohio later that night. The following day, Obama is scheduled to speak at events in Cincinnati and Akron, Ohio.FULL POST